Calorie Counting 101
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I was able to lose weight pretty consistently without weighing food at first, but as I got leaner and leaner, it became necessary to weigh foods. It's such a simple thing for me to do now, I simply find no reason not to.I have to say I agree with vismal on most of his post...but I don't weigh anything. I eyeball it and overestimate if I'm not sure (e.g. at a restaurant). I've only weighed food for two weeks - the first time was the week before I started to track, and the second was the week after I hadn't lost much compared to previous weeks...just to make sure I was not inadvertently increasing my portion sizes.
Long story short, I have lost 28 pounds in 16 weeks by ONLY counting calories, which puts me more than halfway to my goal. Beginning next week, I plan to add strength training in because I am beginning to lose some muscle, but otherwise, I have not exercised one bit. I have gained weight ONE week, and I fully expected it because while I had a "bad" week, I tracked every bite very honestly. This eliminated the surprise and disappointment for me that week.
The bottom line is that if you have MFP configured for the rate at which you want to lose AND you are (accurately) tracking everything you consume, you will lose weight!
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In the final thoughts of the original post I said that those who do not have ambitions of body building style leanness do not need to be super strict and do things like weigh condiments or bring a scale to restaurants. I don't do those things. I also said if your goal is to be as accurate as humanly possible, you need to do those things. Past that, it's a personal choice how strict you want to be. If you are struggling with stalls when you are eating a level of calories that should yield weight loss, I always recommend becoming more strict. If you are losing weight fine without being super strict, then I wouldn't change a thing.In my humble opinion... someone that is making so much effort to get every calorie to the point of using a scale to measure Ketchup...is trying to get to a low BF% but for most of us... trying to lose 10kg or more wouldn't have to be so strict in our counting... weigh the big stuff.. and exercise...
Clearly missing counting 5 carlories of mustard on our double cheese hamburger is not the problem...
I know.... that for some calorie counting is almost a religion and to say you can eyeball it ...is almost as bad as killing a baby seal... however for most of us losing weight is about changing our life style... eating smaller portions... pulling away from the table... putting down the bag of potato chips and walking instead of watching tv or staying on the computer....
One thing to remember when it comes to being strict about logging is that the ultra strict portion doesn't have to last forever. Sometimes it can be more of a troubleshooting aid. Like "oh crap, that's 95 calories? I thought it was fifteen." Or "that's 250?? I thought it was 50". That has honestly happened to me when it comes to some condiment packs. Things I thought were either low calorie or negligible, and just weren't. Once you realize what's really what, you can go back to weighing the honey mustard but not the pure yellow mustard, that sort of thing
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If I track I lose. When I rebel (which is so stupid because who am I rebelling against????Me! Who am I hurting? Me! Duh) I don't track and then feel so bad. I MUST LOG EVERYTHING!0
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Want something to eat. Babysitting is stressful sometimes (especially overnight) and I have logged all my calories. Will go downstairs and drink water!0
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GreatDepression wrote: »Geez, you must have a never-ending supply of self-control and motivation to do something like this (weighing to the gram, always overestimating calorie amount, etc.).
I weigh all of my food. I also have designated prep days ( two a week ) so all I need to do is reheat my food when it is time to eat. You are less likely to fail when all you need to do is reheat food you have already prepared. No one is perfect but the pounds came flying off when I started consistently weighing my food. People tend to think they are eating far less than they actually are when they don't weigh food. There is nothing wrong with being consistent and downright anal when it comes to what you are putting in your body.0 -
In my humble opinion... someone that is making so much effort to get every calorie to the point of using a scale to measure Ketchup...is trying to get to a low BF% but for most of us... trying to lose 10kg or more wouldn't have to be so strict in our counting... weigh the big stuff.. and exercise...
Clearly missing counting 5 carlories of mustard on our double cheese hamburger is not the problem...
Always goal dependent...
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But what if you enjoy chips and cookies? I ate/eat those things all the time. You simply need to track them, and account for them. Why ban foods? You can't hide from cookies forever. Eventually you will come face to face with these foods and rather then binge when faced with cookies at work or a friends house you can just have 1 cookie because you practice moderation.In my humble opinion... someone that is making so much effort to get every calorie to the point of using a scale to measure Ketchup...is trying to get to a low BF% but for most of us... trying to lose 10kg or more wouldn't have to be so strict in our counting... weigh the big stuff.. and exercise...
Clearly missing counting 5 carlories of mustard on our double cheese hamburger is not the problem...
I know.... that for some calorie counting is almost a religion and to say you can eyeball it ...is almost as bad as killing a baby seal... however for most of us losing weight is about changing our life style... eating smaller portions... pulling away from the table... putting down the bag of potato chips and walking instead of watching tv or staying on the computer....
Yes, it is pretty extreme. It's kind of like the vegan who scours every label, making sure that the product does not contain a micro-milligram of an animal product.
And you're right. Keep the chips and cookies and crap out of your house, and you've won half the battle.
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But what if you enjoy chips and cookies? I ate/eat those things all the time. You simply need to track them, and account for them. Why ban foods? You can't hide from cookies forever. Eventually you will come face to face with these foods and rather then binge when faced with cookies at work or a friends house you can just have 1 cookie because you practice moderation.In my humble opinion... someone that is making so much effort to get every calorie to the point of using a scale to measure Ketchup...is trying to get to a low BF% but for most of us... trying to lose 10kg or more wouldn't have to be so strict in our counting... weigh the big stuff.. and exercise...
Clearly missing counting 5 carlories of mustard on our double cheese hamburger is not the problem...
I know.... that for some calorie counting is almost a religion and to say you can eyeball it ...is almost as bad as killing a baby seal... however for most of us losing weight is about changing our life style... eating smaller portions... pulling away from the table... putting down the bag of potato chips and walking instead of watching tv or staying on the computer....
Yes, it is pretty extreme. It's kind of like the vegan who scours every label, making sure that the product does not contain a micro-milligram of an animal product.
And you're right. Keep the chips and cookies and crap out of your house, and you've won half the battle.
Because most people do not have the same will power that you have. A person has two cookies and an hour later, although he/she is not supposed to, has two more cookies. And then two more cookies.
Once you've reached your weight goal, have cookies. Gain weight? Get rid of the cookies.
Other than you, I have never heard anyone encourage people who are desperately trying to lose weight to keep cookies, and ice cream and chips, and sugar-loaded high calorie junk in their house, so long as they track them.
I think it just depends. We have less treats in the house, but there are still some. My husband doesn't eat any sweets but he likes chips. I am better if there are less calorie dense options.
We don't keep ice cream because that is something I have trouble sticking to a normal portion. I do find that logging the calories keeps me aware of how much I am snacking.0 -
Blaming one's self control is an excuse. You have control over your self control. That's why it's called self control. You can never completely hide from foods you like. In modern society you are never much more then 30 minutes away from having whatever food you want. Cookies will always be there and you'll eventually have to face them. While moderation doesn't come easy, it's not impossible at all. I used to struggle with it as well, but the other option, restriction, almost never works. If you have an issue with binging on certain foods, rather then hide from your problem, you should seek ways to solve it. Set a goal of eating just 1 cookie a day for a week. It's not that hard when you think about it.
But what if you enjoy chips and cookies? I ate/eat those things all the time. You simply need to track them, and account for them. Why ban foods? You can't hide from cookies forever. Eventually you will come face to face with these foods and rather then binge when faced with cookies at work or a friends house you can just have 1 cookie because you practice moderation.In my humble opinion... someone that is making so much effort to get every calorie to the point of using a scale to measure Ketchup...is trying to get to a low BF% but for most of us... trying to lose 10kg or more wouldn't have to be so strict in our counting... weigh the big stuff.. and exercise...
Clearly missing counting 5 carlories of mustard on our double cheese hamburger is not the problem...
I know.... that for some calorie counting is almost a religion and to say you can eyeball it ...is almost as bad as killing a baby seal... however for most of us losing weight is about changing our life style... eating smaller portions... pulling away from the table... putting down the bag of potato chips and walking instead of watching tv or staying on the computer....
Yes, it is pretty extreme. It's kind of like the vegan who scours every label, making sure that the product does not contain a micro-milligram of an animal product.
And you're right. Keep the chips and cookies and crap out of your house, and you've won half the battle.
Because most people do not have the same will power that you have. A person has two cookies and an hour later, although he/she is not supposed to, has two more cookies. And then two more cookies.
Once you've reached your weight goal, have cookies. Gain weight? Get rid of the cookies.
Other than you, I have never heard anyone encourage people who are desperately trying to lose weight to keep cookies, and ice cream and chips, and sugar-loaded high calorie junk in their house, so long as they track them.
NOT TRUE. I made a batch of cookies 4 days ago and I have a total of 3. One a day so your "theory" is BS sir.
There are lots of people that keep the "bad" food in their house and still lose weight successfully...maybe YOU need to learn some self control, hhhmmm?
Thanks for the insult. Go to a Walmart. Look around. Do you think most of those shoppers have self-control? We have a 25% to 30% obesity rate, for goodness sakes, because people have no self-control. Start by keeping crap out of your kitchen.
Also, you set a calorie goal, which also is not easy for most people. Why would you set aside calories for something like pretzels and ice cream, which does nothing for satiety?
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Ack! I really like this post, but I am not sure everyone is ready to use moderation in everything.
I like they way it is phrased in the sexypants link. Where some people who can't practice moderation may have to restrict some things for at least awhile.
"I am a firm believer in moderation. However, if you're the type that can't have a serving of potato chips without eating two bags of potato chips then it stands to reason that you may not be able to practice moderation with potato chips. I concede that for some people, elimination of some things, even if temporary, could be a viable short term strategy while you learn to apply moderation. That being said, I think "most" people will do very well using a food selection strategy where somewhere around 80% of their diet consists of whole and nutrient dense foods with the other 20% consisting of whatever you prefer."
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p10 -
But what if you enjoy chips and cookies? I ate/eat those things all the time. You simply need to track them, and account for them. Why ban foods? You can't hide from cookies forever. Eventually you will come face to face with these foods and rather then binge when faced with cookies at work or a friends house you can just have 1 cookie because you practice moderation.In my humble opinion... someone that is making so much effort to get every calorie to the point of using a scale to measure Ketchup...is trying to get to a low BF% but for most of us... trying to lose 10kg or more wouldn't have to be so strict in our counting... weigh the big stuff.. and exercise...
Clearly missing counting 5 carlories of mustard on our double cheese hamburger is not the problem...
I know.... that for some calorie counting is almost a religion and to say you can eyeball it ...is almost as bad as killing a baby seal... however for most of us losing weight is about changing our life style... eating smaller portions... pulling away from the table... putting down the bag of potato chips and walking instead of watching tv or staying on the computer....
Yes, it is pretty extreme. It's kind of like the vegan who scours every label, making sure that the product does not contain a micro-milligram of an animal product.
And you're right. Keep the chips and cookies and crap out of your house, and you've won half the battle.
Because most people do not have the same will power that you have. A person has two cookies and an hour later, although he/she is not supposed to, has two more cookies. And then two more cookies.
Once you've reached your weight goal, have cookies. Gain weight? Get rid of the cookies.
Other than you, I have never heard anyone encourage people who are desperately trying to lose weight to keep cookies, and ice cream and chips, and sugar-loaded high calorie junk in their house, so long as they track them.
NOT TRUE. I made a batch of cookies 4 days ago and I have a total of 3. One a day so your "theory" is BS sir.
There are lots of people that keep the "bad" food in their house and still lose weight successfully...maybe YOU need to learn some self control, hhhmmm?
Thanks for the insult. Go to a Walmart. Look around. Do you think most of those shoppers have self-control? We have a 25% to 30% obesity rate, for goodness sakes, because people have no self-control. Start by keeping crap out of your kitchen.
Also, you set a calorie goal, which also is not easy for most people. Why would you set aside calories for something like pretzels and ice cream, which does nothing for satiety?
There is no "crap/bad" food...it's food. We need it to live. I've learned self control and moderation and I'm losing weight. I buy snacks for my daughter all the time. Do I go hogwild and eat them all...no. I barely touch them. As previous posters have said, it's called self-control and that starts with you.
Thank you for letting me know that Coke and donuts are as healthy as a piece of grilled fish or an avocado. I did not know that. 99.9% of nutritionists will tell you that Coke and donuts are junk food and fish and avocados are healthy. But I will listen to you.
You're welcome! Trust me, you've received some really important education, and for just $0
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You can't quantify health. Is a coke a 5.2 health while fish is 150.8 health? Comparing foods in a vacuum is useless. Sure coke and donuts have less micro nutrients and different macro nutrients then fish, but if I am at the end of my day (or I've prelogged) and I've met all the required nutrients for the day, then what's wrong with the coke? You must look at foods as they relate to your diet in a whole. If you diet consisted of nothing but donuts, cokes, and the like, that would be a poor diet for almost anyone. Eating lots of fish would be a poor choice for someone who doesn't enjoy (or is allergic to) fish. You can't make blanket statements like "food A is better then food B". You must look at everything you are eating and ask how it helps to hit your goals. Now you might think, coke won't help anyone their goals. Well if having 1 coke takes care of someone's sweet tooth, and allows them to fill the rest of their calories with minimally processed whole foods, then the coke just helped them hit their goals. Also, lets bring this topic back to what it's about. None of this has anything to do with how to count calories which is what this thread is about. Let's debate whether or not moderation is a viable option and what foods are "healthy" in the over 9000 other threads devoted to those topics. Whether you are eating coke, donuts, fish, or dirt, this thread is about how to accurately log and track those foods.
But what if you enjoy chips and cookies? I ate/eat those things all the time. You simply need to track them, and account for them. Why ban foods? You can't hide from cookies forever. Eventually you will come face to face with these foods and rather then binge when faced with cookies at work or a friends house you can just have 1 cookie because you practice moderation.In my humble opinion... someone that is making so much effort to get every calorie to the point of using a scale to measure Ketchup...is trying to get to a low BF% but for most of us... trying to lose 10kg or more wouldn't have to be so strict in our counting... weigh the big stuff.. and exercise...
Clearly missing counting 5 carlories of mustard on our double cheese hamburger is not the problem...
I know.... that for some calorie counting is almost a religion and to say you can eyeball it ...is almost as bad as killing a baby seal... however for most of us losing weight is about changing our life style... eating smaller portions... pulling away from the table... putting down the bag of potato chips and walking instead of watching tv or staying on the computer....
Yes, it is pretty extreme. It's kind of like the vegan who scours every label, making sure that the product does not contain a micro-milligram of an animal product.
And you're right. Keep the chips and cookies and crap out of your house, and you've won half the battle.
Because most people do not have the same will power that you have. A person has two cookies and an hour later, although he/she is not supposed to, has two more cookies. And then two more cookies.
Once you've reached your weight goal, have cookies. Gain weight? Get rid of the cookies.
Other than you, I have never heard anyone encourage people who are desperately trying to lose weight to keep cookies, and ice cream and chips, and sugar-loaded high calorie junk in their house, so long as they track them.
NOT TRUE. I made a batch of cookies 4 days ago and I have a total of 3. One a day so your "theory" is BS sir.
There are lots of people that keep the "bad" food in their house and still lose weight successfully...maybe YOU need to learn some self control, hhhmmm?
Thanks for the insult. Go to a Walmart. Look around. Do you think most of those shoppers have self-control? We have a 25% to 30% obesity rate, for goodness sakes, because people have no self-control. Start by keeping crap out of your kitchen.
Also, you set a calorie goal, which also is not easy for most people. Why would you set aside calories for something like pretzels and ice cream, which does nothing for satiety?
There is no "crap/bad" food...it's food. We need it to live. I've learned self control and moderation and I'm losing weight. I buy snacks for my daughter all the time. Do I go hogwild and eat them all...no. I barely touch them. As previous posters have said, it's called self-control and that starts with you.
Thank you for letting me know that Coke and donuts are as healthy as a piece of grilled fish or an avocado. I did not know that. 99.9% of nutritionists will tell you that Coke and donuts are junk food and fish and avocados are healthy. But I will listen to you.
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Sure they have it. Using it and having it are two different things...Thanks for the insult. Go to a Walmart. Look around. Do you think most of those shoppers have self-control?
No, because people don't exercise their self control...We have a 25% to 30% obesity rate, for goodness sakes, because people have no self-control.
Start by loving and accepting yourself the way you are. Start by not body shaming others and telling them what they should and should not do. We are not animals, we have the ability to reason and exercise self control. Start by not letting food have so much power over you. Own your successes and failures, chill out and get on with your life...Start by keeping crap out of your kitchen.
What's so hard about setting a calorie goal?Also, you set a calorie goal, which also is not easy for most people.
Because it is pleasurable and pleasure is a nutrient.Why would you set aside calories for something like pretzels and ice cream, which does nothing for satiety?
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If it was alllll just self control there wouldn't be many people on this site. Ticks me off when people say 'it's all self control' ..... NOT helpful at all to ANYONE to say that!!!!0
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Self control is going to be necessary to lose vast amounts of weight. I don't know a single individual who did not have a good handle on self control that lost weight and kept it off. You can learn to exercise self control better. It's not a matter of you either have it or you don't. When I was obese I still had self control but I was very poor at utilizing it. Through time, I learned to exercise my self control better and better. It did not happen over night, it was something I worked very hard on. And please, lets divert this conversation back to the focus of the thread, which is CALORIE COUNTING, There are a million other threads out there about self control.If it was alllll just self control there wouldn't be many people on this site. Ticks me off when people say 'it's all self control' ..... NOT helpful at all to ANYONE to say that!!!!
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I like your condiment trick! No added dishes0
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